because I have nothing more to offer

because the ghost of your illness walks daily with me

because you cling so strongly to a god who cannot hear

because you swallow loss until your body swells

the emptiness making room for more emptiness

 

you cannot see how the sky drapes lower

where winter light seeks cracks in the clouds

barely, barely and the oaks standing stoic in their nakedness

 

tell us what we know, that you need more air

that each breath is a prayer